The study of bees has often been considered a divine occupation, as the creature's attention to detail and purpose is so special and the honey they produce, almost magical. In this compelling cultural history that moves beautifully through the beekeeper's year, Swedish beekeeper and writer Lotte Möller shares her understanding of bees and bee lore from antiquity to the present with deep knowledge and sharp wit. Möller gives insight into the activity in the hive and describes the bees' natural order and habits. She explores the myths of the past and how and when they were replaced by fact. In stories from her travels, Möller encounters a host of colorful characters, from a trigger-happy California beekeeper raging against both killer bees and bee politics to the legendary Brother Adam of Buckfast Abbey, breeder of the Buckfast queen, now popular throughout Europe and beyond, as well a host of others as passionate as she about the complex world of apiculture both past and present.